


Back from the Dead

by KevintheJace



Category: Magic: The Gathering
Genre: F/M, Gideon is unsurprisingly an ass, Gruulfriends(Chandra x Nissa), Guerrilla Warfare, Jace is weak as hell, Lili coaxes the more deadly powers out of Jace, Why am I asking myself this via talking to myself with tags?, Why am I using so many tags?, Why do people use so many tags?, what is life?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2019-01-27 00:54:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12570048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KevintheJace/pseuds/KevintheJace
Summary: This is a little side project I had been working on in my spare time, so I won't be actively trying to complete more chapters unless I get bored.So...the concept for this is a little hard to explain. Basically, Urza, a dark mage, nearly destroyed the world decades ago. Now, sages from the dominant religious organization go about designating jobs to teenagers and scouring the villages for hidden mages.EDIT: Okay, never mind on the whole not actively writing thing. I'm doing this as my Nanowrimo novel. Don't count the first chapter into my word count, I guess. Or, say I'm cheating. Who cares.EDIT 2: So...apparently, my writing doesn't really sync with Nanowrimo's Fit-as-many-words-as-possible-into-a-small-amount-time format. I'm gonna go back to focusing on Ixalan and The Ninth.





	1. Chapter 1

Jace shivered in the cold wind. It was not unlike the climate in Vryn to be so cold, despite it being considered 'winter'. He still wasn't used to it. But, that wasn't the source of his shaking. It was fear. Fear of the Great Ceremony that comes every half decade. His time had come. Each country puts their children to a test unlike any other. They go through severe mental stress and intense physical straining in trials and tests designed to test them. And when each child was at least 11, he or she would be judged by a council of sages. Jace was a part of the older group, at fifteen. The sages decided whether you went on to work as a diplomat, a soldier, a craftsman and what not. You were garunteed your best job so long as you were found useful. Unless, of course, they found you guilty of possessing sorcery.

Sorcery and magic was made a taboo art by the sages long ago after the destruction of the world’s countries at the hands of Urza, the Dark Mage. Any who possess such a power are sent off immediately to be executed.

Jace shot a glance at his older brother, Kallhist. He had a reassuring look in his eye. But even if Kallhist believed it, Jace was doomed. He was born with magic and lacked ability to control it. He possessed telepathy. The only thing he could do was pretend not to hear people’s thoughts. With the way the sages detect magic in the last trial, he would be found out for sure.

Silmot's Crossing was a small and poor village located in the mountainous region of Vryn. No one had much, but they still played a role in society. The people here were farmers of winter crops which could grow year round up here.

Jace prayed that he his ability would stay hidden as the five elderly men and women known as the sages approached a series of pedestals. There was one for each color of the Gods. White, blue, black, red and green. Jace released a hot, steamy breath into his cupped hands and pulled his scarf up.

“We will now announce this year’s trial results. Please stay silent during the naming.” The sage in white spoke.

One by one, each of the sages called out the names of those Jace grew up with and their predestined occupations. Then came Kallhist’s name.

“Kallhist Rhoka. Militant Soldier.” A wide smile spread across Kallhist’s face. There was no doubt that was the job he’d get.

The rest of the names were called and Jace failed to hear his.

“These children we have found to be treacherous mages of the dark arts,” the sage in blue sternly said, “Tamiyo, Tezzeret, Jace and Venser. These four shall be sentenced to death by lava pit.”

No one made a reaction. No one should have. For the last few minutes of their lives, those four were not human as far as the general public was concerned.

A large hand covered Jace’s face. He struggled in response, but then felt a needle plunge into his neck and inject a fluid that quickly stole away his consciousness.  
____________________________

Kallhist was stunned by the year’s mages. But, he shoved that into the back of his mind. The dead were none of his concern. He looked towards a bright future. He’d already packed up and said goodbye to his parents. He was waiting for the bus to the military academy. If he succeeded there, he could get his parents out of that dump of a village as well.

For once, he had something to look forward to aside from picking crops.

A rusty and tattered bus pulled up on the road next to Kallhist. He boarded the bus and took a seat next to a man from Amonkhet.

He stretched out his arms, “So what position were you nominated for?”

“Lieutenant.” The man said.

“Nice.”

“Unfortunately, a good friend of mine, who should’ve been a general was found out as a Mage.”

“That’s too bad. My brother suffered the same fate.”

The man inhaled deeply, “Well, as we say in our country, We need not speak of the fallen.” He offered his hand to Kallhist, “My name’s Djeru.”

“Kallhist.” He shook Djeru’s hand, “I agree. We should look forward to the bright futures that lay ahead.”  
____________________________  
Bleariness plagued Jace’s eyes has he woke. The floor beneath him was warm stone. Scattered all around him, were other fifteen year olds who were slowly regaining consciousness. They all came from different countries, but they’d all been branded as evil.

An intense heat came from the right of Jace. The origin of said heat shot fear into the heart of everyone who laid his or her eyes on it. A burning lava pit.

Did they expect us to just jump in? Jace asked himself. Mental voices of similar panic surrounded him.

Jace scanned the rest of his environment. It seemed just to be a stone room with a lava pit in the middle and filled to the brim with kids.

Jace felt a slight rumble beneath his feet. Oh no. The stone floor under him began moving away from the center. Oh shit. Jace scrambled to his feet and backed against the far wall. Those of them who weren't quick enough to realize what was happening fell into the pit, screaming. Jace found a foot hold in a crack of the wall and grabbed on as the floor continued to disappear.

More and more teenagers fell into the boiling pool of death. Most desperately tried to stick to the wall and climb up it.

Someone shoved Jace aside and took his place on the wall. Jace backed up against the wall again and clawed at it, trying to find a way out. He couldn't die here. Not like cattle sent to the slaughter.

Eventually, the floor wasn’t big enough for him to keep his feet on. He slipped and caught the last remaining bit of the floor for dear life. But that eventually ran out as well. Jace yelled as he fell into fiery red oblivion.

But...what Jace found was not a burning eternal agony, but rather a spiral of color. A vibrant show of ferocity in what seemed to be a void. Winds whipped through his hair as he began free falling through the air.

Was this death? Was this hell? Just an eternity of falling? His peripheral caught sight of a glint. It looked to be an orb directly in his path. A glowing, golden orb. He reached for it.

As Jace passed it, he wrapped a closed fist fist around it. The moment he did, he landed flat on his back in the middle of a grassy field. This once again brand new environment consisted mainly of blinding sun light and a soft grass meadow.

Jace stood up on his shaking legs. His whole body felt like it had gone through a heavy amount of psychedelic trips. The other teenagers who had also fallen into the lava were there in pretty much the same state as he was.

An endless expanse of grass bordered the horizon. As the midday sun glinted off the green blades. Jace squinted to verify a few blurs he saw in the distance. Were those buildings? He began shambling towards the shapes. Everyone followed in the same general direction.  
______________________

The bus carrying the military academy’s recruits came to a stuttering stop. The recruits disembarked the vehicle.

The academy had a smoggy sky above it. Most of the village folk had difficulty breathing.

A stern woman stood across from the new students, arms crossed, “If this air gets you on your knees, you won't last a day in here. Now stand at attention, insects!”

The recruits did their best to obey.

“My name is Sergeant Khemba Kha. It's my job to turn you worms into soldiers for the Alliance of Nations.” The woman paced back and forth as she talked, “You may have been your village’s best and brightest, but here, you are nothing! I won't hesitate to discipline anyone who grows a big head.”

“Yes Ma’am!” The recruits replied in unison.

“See? You're already getting the hang of it.” Khemba turned and began to leave, “Report to the gymnasium in an hour for sorting.” She left from sight and was out of earshot.

“Damn. We got Khemba.” Djeru said in despair, “We’ll be lucky if we scrape through the rest of the week.”

“I'm gonna remain optimistic. I think I could really learn a thing or two here.”  
_________________________

Jace woke up in a random place for the third time today. He groaned, “Oh come on!” Every muscle in his body ached. He was on a cold stone floor. He pushed himself up, as did others, to find an old man standing before them.

“Hello, children. My name is Urza.” He smiled.

“Where are we?” Jace asked, “What happened?”

“You are in my home of the Blind Eternities. More specifically, this is my fortress. A space between space. To answer your second question, quickly before you all burned to death, I opened a portal through dimensions. You fell in and landed here.”

Jace still had so many questions.

“Walk with me, won’t you?”

The crop of teenagers followed the old man through the fortress, that really looked like more of a manor or palace.

“I've taken in children such as yourselves that were sent to their deaths for possessing a wonderful gift.”

“Wonderful gift?” A boy said from the back of the group. The people parted to let him look Urza in the eyes. He was several inches taller than many of the mages, “We were cursed. Do you have any idea how much destruction magic has caused?”

Urza looked solemnly at the ground.

“And if your name really is Urza, you are the perpetrator of that destruction. I had my life set for me. I was supposed to be a general like my father. Until one day when I couldn't be hurt. Granted, it saved my life then, but that was only going to condemn me later.”

“May I ask your name, dear boy?”

“Gideon Jura, of Akros.”

“Why do you hate magic so much? Not all of it is destructive you know.”

“I hate magic because of the devastation it can bring. My mother and the rest of my city was set ablaze by a rogue Mage. He destroyed everything that I held close. And I refuse to be anything like him in the slightest.”

“Ah. Understandable. But, being a Mage doesn't make you like him. If a murderer kills someone with a gun, does that make you a murderer if you primarily wield a fire arm as well?”

“I…”

“I encourage that you give it a try.” 

Gideon stepped back into the crowd.

“Now, each of you has been gifted your own abilities. Whether or not you want to put them to use is up to you.” Urza began up a staircase, “If you’d follow me, these are your dorms. Each of you gets your own room and will be able to find them based on a personal insignia which you will receive once your magic ability has been designated. If you wish to learn to properly use your magic in classes, find three others who would like to do so as well and you will be taught as a team. Please follow me to the arena outside.”  
_____________

The next hour or so was uneventful at the least. Strenuous effort was used to create what was only a little snuff of the magic the children were told about. Each person found it hilarious until they were the ones on stage. It was a pitiful disappointment to all of them. Luckily, they each received their insignias that had appeared tattooed on their non dominant hands.

Jace’s insignia was a Sphinx’s headdress in some cave painting-esque alteration. He sent himself down the boy’s dorm hallway and found the door with a large version of what was stuck on his left hand. He opened the door to find what was a clearly custom room. The left wall was a floor to ceiling lime stone book shelf and an open seating area with an array of soft armchairs.

The back wall was an aquarium filled with aquatic creatures from all over the world. Jace had always been fascinated with the oceans and the creatures that inhabited them. The room contained a walk in closet with new and fresh clothes all in his size. The bathroom was giant and luxurious, a thousand times better than any facility in his village. The bed was massive and much softer than anything he had felt before.

Urza had made them aware of everything the Fortress had to offer, including a cafeteria that he was very inerested in. He was famished.

Jace threw on a new set of clothes and found his way to the cafeteria somewhat alright. However, while everyone was eating, the only thing he could find were plates. He raised an eyebrow in confusion and picked up a plate. The moment he did, a meal materialized on it.

“GAAAH!” He almost dropped the plate in surprise.

When he came out of shock of the food that came from nothing, he took a seat and began eating. Unfortunately, he didn't get very far, as the shadow of the large human loomed over him. He looked up. It was Gideon Jura.

“Can I sit?”

Jace shrugged in response.

Gideon sat down across from him.

“Jura, right?” Jace asked.

“Yeah. You?”

“Jace Beleren. Resident mind reader.”

“I see you've taken a liking to this.” There was some resonance of hostility in his voice.

“Well, I get food, water, clothing, shelter and I don't die.”

“Don't look now…” Gideon gestured to the area behind Jace with his chin.

“Why-”

“Wassup, fags?” A red headed girl slammed her plate onto the table, startling Jace.

“Chandra, you shouldn't talk like that.” An elf girl with green eyes scolded the redhead.

“Am I supposed to know you two?” Jace asked, annoyed.

“Chandra Nalaar. Pyromancer.” The redhead stuck out a flaming hand. Jace recoiled.

“Nissa Revane. Chandra’s babysitter. And an Animist.” The elf said.

“They’re friends of mine.” Gideon mentioned.

“And I'm assuming you're here to propose that I team up with you three for magic classes or whatever.” Jace rubbed his chin.

“Yup.” Chandra said.

Jace hesitated, “I'll think about it.”  
________________

Jace had quickly inhaled his meal, sating his hunger in mere minutes. He finished his conversation with the pyromancer, animist and soldier and stood in the winding halls of the building.

“How do I…”

The sigil on the back of his glowed a bright blue. He yelped in surprise.

A holographic map appeared just above his hand. Jace spoke to it, “Um...can I find the library? Is there a library?”

The map generated what Jace assumed was a route to his destination. He followed it down several hallways and several turns.

Suddenly, he hit something. Someone.

Jace fell backwards and landed on his hands. He looked up to find a girl on the ground across from him.

“Damnit!” She rubbed the side of her head.

“S-s-sorry!” Jace surveyed the mess of books around them he had created.

“Watch where you’re going.” She stared into his eyes and for the first time, Jace took her in. Her eyes were a sharp violet, like poison. Her skin was as fair and smooth as her hair was black like the night. She was at least a year older than himself.

“I'm really sorry about that!” Jace broke eye contact and started collecting the pile of books she dropped.

“No need.” The girl joined him, cleaning up the floor.

He picked up a old time bound in black leather. The fading gold ink on the front read “Mastering the Undead: an Intermediate's Guide to Raising the Grave”.

“The Undead?” Jace muttered, then turned to the girl, “You're a necromancer?”

“Well, it's more a hobby, really. I don't take classes because my magic requires dead bodies. I asked Urza if I could read about it and my next shipment just got here today.”

“That's too bad. Not being able to use your magic.”

“It's not all bad. It makes for great threats and I don't have to put up with the unbelievably annoying Dark Arts teacher.”

“Who’s that?”

“Are you new here?” The girl looked at him strangely.

“I've been here for about three hours, so yes, I would say I'm new.”

They both stood, each carrying half of the girl’s books. She extended her hand, “Liliana Vess.”

“Jace. Beleren.” Jace shook Liliana’s hand.

“Mind helping me bring my books to my room, Jace?”

“Sure. No problem.” The two mages started on a path back to the girl’s hallway. After a minute or two of awkward silence, Jace spoke up, “So who is the Dark Arts teacher?”

“His name’s Sorin Markov. The girls love him, but I find him disgusting. He's a vampire. Though, I doubt you'll run into him. You don't use dark magic, do you?”

“Me? Oh no. I'm a telepath.” Jace adjust his grip on Liliana's books.

“Telepath? That's pretty rare. Sounds like you'll be having Teferi. He does all that blue magic and stuff.” Liliana said, “Though, you may want invest some time into weapons training, since telepathy isn't a really offensive magic. I would suggest learning to use a rifle or archery.”

“Wait, a rifle?” Jace raised an eyebrow, “Like a gun?”

“Oh, yeah. You can learn to use all kinds of Melee weapons and guns.”

“I thought this was a Mage school.”

“It is, but not everyone is a pyromancer.” Liliana shrugged, “Some people need alternative ways of defending themselves.”

“Huh. I don't know, that's a little...unexpected.”

Jace and Liliana turned into the hallway containing all the girl’s dorms.

The second door on the right glowed with a golden insignia that looked a bit like an angel headdress. That was more than a little strange.

“Well, thanks for your help. Just set them near the door. I can take two trips.”

“Yeah.” Jace set the books down on the floor, “See you around, I guess.”

“Good luck on your first day of classes. If you ever need my help, I'm in the library most of the day.”

“Right. I'll keep that in mind.” Jace waved before he exited the hallway.


	2. The Possibilities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jace starts classes and learns exactly how useless his abilities are for battle. But, Liliana is there to help him find a new source of power: Weapons

The next day, all who were beginning magical training were asked to report to the meadow outside the fortress. The meadow with no dirt, dew or bugs.

The sun was once again radiant as it had been the day prior.

Jace took a seat on the ground, next to Gideon, Chandra and Nissa.

“Has anyone shown up yet?” Jace asked.

As if on cue, a white flash of light spread across Jace’s vision. At the origin of the flash, now stood a young woman with blonde hair, wearing white robes and light, golden armor. A blue portal opened next to her. A dark skinned, bald man exited from it. He carried a wooden staff and was wrapped in a blue cloak. The next person to appear was a vampire. He looked like the Sorin Markov Liliana had talked about. His hair and skin were white, which were contrasted by his black armor and coat. A column of flames swirled about and when they dissipated, a woman in black leather and goggles stood there. A large, oversized pink bud rose from the ground and blossomed, with an elven woman in green inside. The flower sunk back into the ground.

“Greetings, young mages.” The woman in white said, “I am Serra. These are Teferi, Sorin, Jaya and Freyalise. We will be your magic arts teachers while you study in the fortress. I will teach those of you who are honorable soldiers and benevolent healers.”

Teferi spoke, “I will teach the curious and insightful among you. I will turn your minds into your most powerful weapon.”

“Those who are ambitious, want power and want it enough will study under me.” Sorin gave a fang filled grin.

“For you guys who are ready to fight and ready to fight hard, I'll lead!” Jaya spoke with fiery passion.

“And for the stewards of this wonderful earth and our community, I will teach you the ways of nature.” The elf woman spoke.

“Now don't misunderstand,” Teferi said, “The majority of your training will be out here in the meadow, battling in teams and teaching yourselves to develop your magic.”

“I assume you already have your teams.” Jaya shouted, “Today, you’ll learn to use the most basic of magics, individually. Go choose your teacher!”

Jace stood and walked over to Teferi.

He looked at the boy, “That was a rather fast decision, boy. Are you certain I'm the one for you?”

“I'm certain.”

“Good. Certainty is the key to success.” Teferi closed his eyes, “You are a telepath.”

“Yes.”

“I see potential for you. Please, sit.”

Jace sat cross legged. One by one, each child approached their teacher. He closed his eyes and listened to the names of each person that joined Teferi. Tamiyo. Ral Zarek. Tezzeret. Narset. Venser. Saheeli Rai.

Once everyone had chosen their teacher, lessons began.

“To be a blue Mage means to believe that with the right tools and the right knowledge, you can triumph over any opponent. Each of you have different magics, but that does not make you different mages. You all desire perfection. You all want knowledge. Focus on that desire and manifest it as power. Feel the mana you use flow into your being and expel it through your hands.”

Jace closed his eyes and focused his energy into his palms.

“I got it!” Jace’s eyes snapped opened and glanced to the left. Tamiyo, a Soratami who had moved to his village when they were children, was channeling blue energy between her hands.

The others around Jace began manifesting energy soon afterwards.

Jace frowned, “Is this the same for all blue mages?”

“I'm sorry?” Teferi turned his attention towards Jace.

“I'm a telepath. Does energy like that manifest for me?”

“You're a blue Mage. Anything you want to do, you can do. You're not just a telepath.”

“What?”

“Your abilities of telepathy are great for reconnaissance, however, won't assist your allies in battle. You can practice more than one type of magic.”

“I'll, uh...I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Keep trying.”  
_______________

Jace ended the day being the only one who couldn't manifest any magic. On top of that, it meant he couldn't actually do any of the basic exercises Teferi had shown them.

It made him self conscious, to say the least.

It was late at night and the library was barren. He had spent the last hour scouring the shelves for something he could quickly learn and be impressive enough to use in battle.

His stack of books consisted of mostly Hydromancy, but there was one book on illusion magic that piqued his interest.

Jace made his way over to the seating area of comfy armchairs, much like the ones in his room. To his surprise, Liliana Vess was relaxing in one.

“Liliana?”

She looked up, “Oh hey! Jace, right? What are you doing in here so late?”

“Telepathy isn't exactly a potent magic for combat.” Jace sat across from her, “I'm here to learn other stuff.”

“Well, I wouldn't say telepathy isn't potent.”

“Why?” Jace opened the first book on his stack.

“I've seen Telepaths. They can crush minds on a whim and completely take over people’s bodies. But, I understand if they aren't having you practice that sort of thing. Still though, I would practice it in my down time.”

“See, I would, but...I don't really know how. And the library’s selection isn't helping much.”

“Screw the library’s selection.” Liliana said, “Ask Urza. He's got all the good stuff. And hey, if it's anything to you, I can help you out.”

“You can?”

“When do you have off?”

“An hour at noon.”

Liliana took Jace’s left hand as her finger started glowing gold. She traced the sigil on the back of his hand. When she went around once, her finger stopped shining, “There. I'll call you.”

“Call me?”  
___________________

Jace’s group of four entered the meadow a short time after breakfast. It had been a week since they’d been staying at the fortress. Jace had gotten no response from Liliana. They were told to stay together, as today, they'd be working out strategies based on their varieties of magic. They had four hours to designate roles and come up with one viable strategy against another group.

“Alright, let's start with magics.” Gideon said, “My magic allows me to become invulnerable and create protective shields. I'm obviously this group’s tank.”

“I'm a pyromancer which means an automatic damage dealer role for me.” Chandra said, “And Nissa can heal, so I think she should be support.”

“Which leaves…” Gideon turned to Jace, “Can you do battlefield control?”

“Literally the entirety of my magic’s combat abilities.”

“Good. That was easy.” Gideon said, “Now, our opponents are made up of another soldier, a paladin, a geomancer and an artificer. Battlefield is the meadows.”

“This should be easy. Two of their units are elementalists. They'll summon creatures mainly, which leaves them vulnerable to a stealthy attack by me, allowed by a diversion of Gideon.” Jace explained, “The Paladin is their only source of support, who is also a frontline fight. Chandra, backed up by Nissa can easily out do him. The soldier will likely relegate their tactics to martial combat, in which it will be 4 vs 1.”

“I'll just write that down and turn it in.” Nissa said.

Chandra piped up, “Are we done?”

“I think so.” Gideon rubbed his chin.

Jace’s sigil started flashing gold, “I gotta take this.”

Jace stood and walked a few steps away, pressing the sigil to answer it.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Jace. Sorry I haven't gotten back to you. Personal stuff. Anyways, I’m free now, so if you wanna come to the library, I can help you out with your magic. And maybe enroll you in weapon training.”

“Liliana? Hi. Um, yeah. I'm actually off for the rest of the day. The assignment was ridiculously easy. I'll be there in a minute.”

“See you there.”

The gold light disappeared from Jace’s sigil, signifying that Liliana had hung up.

Jace, now with the Library’s placement in the Fortress memorized, made his way to it in record time.

Liliana waved from the same chair she was sitting in last time he saw her. She was smiling, which sent a little chill down Jace’s spine.

“Hey.” She said.

“Hi. So, I was thinking. You use dark magic right?”

“Yes.”

“How can you teach me blue magic?”

“You really have no idea how much time I have on my hands.” Liliana chuckled, “Also, I’m not here to teach you blue magic.”

“Then what-”

“Have you ever fired a gun, Jace?”

“Um....no.”

“Then we have no time to lose. You’re in for a long day.”   
___________________________________________________

Liliana led Jace to a room on the other side of the fortress, a half he had yet to explore.

“This,” Liliana said, “Is the Arsenal.”

The Arsenal was a room whose very walls were white lights, filled with racks and shelves. Said racks and shelves were chock full of weapons. Swords, staves, guns, axes. Everything.

“This place...how many weapons are there?”

“Theoretically, infinite. The weapons in the room are procedurally generated according to the person using the room. It has a mind of its own.” Liliana browsed the shelves, “Seems to think you’re a sniper kinda guy.”

Liliana grabbed a very long, very slim gun off a shelf and inspected it. She tossed it to Jace, who barely caught it. It was surprisingly light.

“What do think?”

“Finality.” Jace read a golden inscription on the gun’s black surface, “That’s grim.”

“Keep it. We’ll test it out later.” Liliana said, looking through a collection of side arms, “Are you any good at throwing?” She looked up at him for a second, before returning to the weapons, “Nevermind. The answer to that was pretty obvious.”

“Hey!”

“Come on, really?” Liliana gave him a look, “Just look at your arms.”

Jace grabbed a throwing knife holster she was looking at. He drew one and chucked it, landing right between two rifles on a rack, “See? I can throw.”

“Beginner’s luck.” Liliana said, narrowing her eyes, “Whatever. All that’s left is a close combat weapon.”

Jace followed Liliana to the back of the Arsenal. He was impressed by how many daggers could fit on one wall. But...they were all daggers. All of them.

“Daggers, huh?” Liliana observed the racks with the same disdain Jace did.

“Maybe melee can wait?” Jace suggested.

“Yeah...But we need something in place of it.” Liliana said. She opened a screen with her sigil. She sighed.

“What is it?”

“Oh, it's nothing.”

Jace inhaled, “I feel like it's not.”

“Fine, nosy. It's a long story, so we might as well head to town for lunch.”

“Town? What town?”

“There's a small town in these walls, where you can go to get actual good food and such.”

“I have no money.”

“I'll treat you. Just this once.” Liliana smirked, punctuating the ‘just this once’ with a perky tone.  
___________________

“Weren’t you gonna tell me that long story of yours?” Jace asked. They’d been walking for about ten minutes.

“Right. So you know how Urza won't let me take classes?”

“Yeah. You're magic is too dangerous apparently.”

“Mm hm. He said there was a way to join the ranks of the Archmages. They're graduates of his curriculum. He told me he’d give me a test sometime this month and if I passed, I could join.”

“Really? That's great, isn't it?”

“It would be if the end of the month weren't two days from now.”

“Oh. Right.” Jace looked down, scolding himself for not realizing that.

“One can only hope, I suppose.”

“That's...that's a difficult situation to make an opinion on other than ‘hey, sorry about this shitty thing that happened to you.’”

“What's with that?” Liliana laughed slightly, “Do you want the option for more than one opinion?”

“Yes. Because, then my opinion isn't genuine if it's the only thing I can feel and still be accepted.”

“You've got an interesting thought process in that big brain of yours.” Liliana stopped walking, “Hey. We're here.”  
_____________________________

“You're sure I'm allowed to carry weapons?” Jace asked.

“Yes.”

“I just feel kinda weird, you know, with a big ass sniper rifle on my back.”

“Listen, if the residents of this place didn't want us to carry weapons, there isn't a lot they could do to stop us.”

The place apparently called ‘The Town’ was in an open area within the Fortress walls. Jace had found, from poking at people’s minds, that nobody actually lived here. But, those who didn't want to learn magic could find jobs here.

Liliana led them to a small cafe, which she said was a favorite of hers. The two of them sat in a booth. Jace’s jaw hung open as he stared at the menu.

“What? You don't like it?” Liliana asked.

“No. You guys have coffee here?”

“Um...yes. All cafes do.”

“I grew up in the mountains, so all this stuff costs at least a decade’s worth of life savings where I come from.” Jace explained.

“Uh, I'll just get you a coffee.” Liliana said.

After they—well more accurately, after Liliana ordered for the both of them, she taught Jace about the interface of his sigil, while complaining about how they didn't teach you how to use it. She mainly focused on how to use the Archive, which was a long list of different magics and how get started in them.

“I kinda like the look of illusion magic. Apparently, it's pretty easy to start as a blue Mage.” Jace read the short excerpt on his screen. He closed his eyes and exhaled, extending his arm, Palm up. Blue mana resonated in his hand. It swirled as though it had a mind of its own. The light formed a cube. Jace opened his eyes, “Holy shit.”

“You're doing it!” Liliana exclaimed.

Jace narrowed his eyes in concentration. The cube reformed into a sphere, “I think I'm getting the hang of it.”

The sphere became a rod that Jace grabbed. The rod grew a sword blade and became a weapon.

“It's all with the imagination. How vivid it is.”

Jace dissolved the sword.

“It might take some practice, though.”

Liliana was amazed, “Either way, you got a handle on that really quickly. Think of the creatures you could summon with enough practice.”

“That's a good idea. Creatures. Like a dragon!”

“Well, maybe. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.” Liliana chuckled.

Jace furrowed his brow as he thought, “Let me try something.”

He concentrated and summoned a flourishing well of mana, or at least, in comparison to his current average. The mana materialized as a copy of Jace. It mirrored his looked of awe.

“Just imagine the possibilities, Jace.” Liliana smiled.


	3. The Real Dangers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kallist is admitted to a more elite vanguard of soldiers. Jace is introduced to the Simulacrum.

Kallist slammed his opponent into the dirt and began pounding his head in.

“Very good, Rhoka!” Khemba shouted.

“Thank you, Sergeant!”

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something.” The soldier said.

“What is it, Ma’am?”

“Do you know who the alliance of nations fight against?”

“Mages, of course.”

“Exactly. It's come to my attention that you are by far one of the best soldiers here. They’ve nominated you for the Anti-arcane Task Force.”

Kallist’s eyes grew wide, “Really?”

“Congratulations, soldier.” Khemba smiled, “But, be warned. The Task Force is no dream life. You'll be deployed the moment you're signed on.”

“I say the sooner the better, Sergeant.”

“Good man.”  
________________________

“Keep going, Jace!” Liliana yelled.

It had been a week since Jace and Liliana started training together regularly. Jace was grasping the bare basics of neuromancy aside from his telepathy. His neurological functions were going three times as fast. A useful ability, but he learned two days ago that it drain his stamina three times as fast also.

Liliana spent the morning firing a shotgun at the boy. She fired a another shot and went to reload the gun, to find she was out of ammo.

“Aw, shit! We’re out of ammo.” Liliana said.

Jace’s body ceased creating blue residue everywhere he warped.

He gasped for air, his lungs burning. He coughed, “Holy fuck! That was a long time.”

“That was three minutes.”

“Twice as long as last time!” Jace wheezed, holding up to fingers and shaking them violently in the air, “I’m...oh shit...I’m goin’ to sleep.”

“What?”

Jace fell over out of exhaustion.

“Jace? Jace?”  
________________________

“Welcome to the Simulacrum, young mages.” Serra held her arms out, metaphorically encompassing the giant arena that would've realistically never fit inside the Fortress, “This room has the ability to become any imaginable battleground for team training.”

“Today, you'll be simulating a simple extermination mission.” Sorin grinned, “Your goal is to kill the most enemies in the allotted time than any other team.”

With that, the room around Jace and his teammates began to shift and morph until it resembled an Alliance military compound.

The four mages were isolated. A screen from each of their sigils appeared with a timer on it. Ten minutes.

“We should get going.” Gideon said. The other three nodded as they ran out of the garage they were in. They were met with a chaotic battlefield. A tank shot exploded on contact with Gideon. He was fine.

Jace closed his eyes as blue mana spewed from his hand like blue smoke.

“Whoa! What the hell?” Chandra leapt at the sight. The substance swirled around each of the four mages until it had covered them completely.

“No one but ourselves can see us now.” Jace said. He loaded his rifle, “I’ll provide cover fire for you guys.”

“Where’d you learn this stuff?” Nissa asked.

“I’ll tell you later. Just go get some kills.”  
______________________________________________

Liliana smiled coldly as Jace and his team vanished.

“He’s really getting along well, wouldn’t you say?” An elderly man with silver hair, golden eyes and black robes appeared next to her.

The Raven Man. He was an entity who’d plagued her since arriving here at the Fortress. Perhaps he was a demon.

“Yes.” Liliana said, “At this rate? I can see why he’s the vessel. And it’s not just a gift in magic either. He’s determined to be the best. I like it.”

“But he doesn’t seem like the most trusting of people.”

“Unfortunately, there’s my problem. I can tell he doesn’t trust me yet.” Liliana said.

“I suggest you go the obvious route. Look at him. He’s a young boy. You’re fairly attractive. You can easily win him over.”

“For once, I agree- wait, did you say ‘fairly attractive’? I am a goddess in comparison to the other women here. But, looks alone aren’t enough. He’s not that superficial.”

“Bonding with him any deeper poses the risk of an attachment.” the Raven Man frowned.

“For what I get in return, I’ll roll those dice.” Liliana’s eyes narrowed.

“Your ambition never ceases to amaze me, Liliana.”

“Urza’s not gonna give me that test. You think he knows?”

“Certainly not. He has no surveillance in the Fortress.”

“But he knows what I can do. I haven’t given him any clue I remember.” Liliana slouched back in the couch in the Simulacrum’s spectator room, “This is stressing me out. Jace and I have lunch after this. I’d better put on something that’ll get his attention.”  
_____________________________________________

“Liliana, you don’t have to do this!” Urza shouted. His beloved Fortress crumbled around him.

“Actually, dear, I do.” Liliana smiled.

“You’ve made a pact with Bolas?” Urza’s eyes widened, “You fool!”

“Fool? You’re the fool, Urza. As long as we mages hide here, countless will suffer at the hands of the sages. I needed to destroy this place, so we can finally show the people out there in the real world our true power. I long for a world where we can live in peace. Is that so wrong?”

“What you long for is a world of oppression and evil!” Urza yelled, “You’re not in your right mind!”

“This is my right mind, now! Jace is dead! You wouldn’t let me protect him! He’s dead because of you!”

“I didn’t mean for Jace to die! But, you can’t function without him supressing that-that specter in your head!”

Before Liliana could respond, a current ran through her spine. Her back arched. Raven wings made from purple light expanded from her back.

She spoke with a distorted voice, “You are nothing, Archmage! I am the Eternal Observer! I know all that you are.”

“Who are you, spirit?” Urza demanded.

“I am Zarluxon, Fallen from the Starfield! Scion of Bolas!” the demon roared.

“You’re one of the Fallen Five?” Urza scoffed, “What reduced you to such a state?”

“You did. When your ambition vanished.”

“That’s right. You feed off the ambition of others.”

“I have found someone greater than you. She will rise above you and bring ruin to the world.” Liliana began charging a ball of black energy in her palms.

“You wouldn't dare.” Urza growled, “If you cast Damnation, everyone here will die.”

“Including you.” The demon possessed girl smiled.

“I'm sorry.” Urza’s hands glowed blue, “It's the only way.” Liliana’s eyes flickered blue.

“No! You will not...rrragh! You will not block...the girl’s mind!”

“Serra!” Urza yelled.

Serra, who had been the only one of the five teachers to recover, unleashed a torrent of holy magic. Liliana stood her ground, but the blue light flooded her eyes.

Urza cut through Liliana’s mind. He destroyed almost everything.

Liliana fell limp, in the middle of the rubble.  
_____________________________________

“Woo! Hells yeah!” Chandra yelled, “That was badass!”

She, Jace, Gideon and Nissa wandered the halls, celebrating their victory over the other teams.

“So, where did you learn that invisibility stuff?” Gideon asked.

“I read some books and got some help from a friend.”

“A friend? Which friend?” Nissa furrowed her brow.

“They’ve been here longer than us and has been helping me get stronger as a Mage.” Jace said.

“Is that where you disappear off to during lunch?” Chandra narrowed her eyes.

“Yeah. That's mainly when we meet up.”

“You have to introduce us.” Gideon said.

“I mean, I'm going to see them right now. If you guys wanna come with, I'm sure they wouldn't mind.”

Jace led the three of them to the town. He explained it on the way there, as to shorten the amount of awe they would experience, which would make him late.

Unfortunately, he was still forced to drag Chandra away from multiple shops. They eventually arrived at the cafe and stepped inside.

Some parts of Jace’s brain realized the difference before he rounded the corner.

Liliana’s attire was...different. And by different, he meant a lot more revealing than the typical t-shirt and skinny jeans she wore. First off, Jace notice her top just nearly covered her midriff. Second, she was wearing a skirt. A short one. And the rest fell in line with this new ‘show some skin’ theme.

Jace sat next to Liliana in the booth as his three friends filed into the seat across from him.

“Hey, Liliana.” Jace gave her a smile, “You look...different.”

“Yes, I've taken on a new look,” she flipped her hair, “What do you think?”

Jace chuckled at her theatrics.

“Now, um...who are they?” She pointed across the table.

“Oh, right. Liliana, this is Gideon, Chandra and Nissa. Gideon, Chandra and Nissa, this is Liliana.” Jace said, “They’re my teammates. Gideon’s a combat Mage, Chandra’s a pyromancer and Nissa’s an elementalists.”

“It's nice to meet you all, but Jace and I have training to do.” Liliana forced a smile.

“Wait, you guys can come to, if you want.” Jace offered.

“Yeah!” Chandra shouted, getting the attention of many customers and staff, “Whatever she did, it made you way stronger.”

Gideon and Nissa shrugged and nodded in agreement.

After getting drinks, the five mages strolled through the halls, led by Liliana, “So, I noticed you were introduced to the simulacrum today. But, that's not how we use it.” Liliana had led them back to the simulacrum. She brought up an interface on his sigil and typed a few things before closing the screen and entering the room.

Liliana had turned the room into an arena, with spectator seats and everything.

“Okay, everyone, I'm gonna have you guys take these,” Liliana opened a compartment in the wall and produced vials of green liquid, “These will digitize your attacks, so if you hit any real person, the worst it'll do is knock you down.”

She turned to the far side of the arena.

“Spawn soldier specters.” Liliana commanded, “Two waves,” Liliana turned to the other four, specifically Jace, “Now you get to see me in action.”

An iron gate on the other side of the arena opened.

A small squad of soldiers exited, running at Liliana. Jace felt an aura about her as she gathered mana. One that gave him an arbitrary sense of fear. Liliana’s hands sparked with black lightning, which quickly erupted into purple flames surrounded by black lightning.

She clasped her hands together and slammed the ground, letting out a shockwave of black magic. Jace and the others got reacquainted with the ground, while the soldiers met a far more terrifying fate. They began decaying until they were but husks on the ground. Rotten and broken.

More soldiers, from more gates charged at Liliana. She summoned a rod of purple light and grabbed it. The light dispersed, revealing a steel scythe with purple engravings.

She whispered an enchantment, “Embody my ambition, O blade of hatred.”

The blade glowed as Liliana rushed forward, displaying acts of agility Jace would've never thought possible, even with her frame.

She mowed through the platoons of soldiers, deflecting bullets by twirling it and slicing through flesh like butter.

She landed in the middle of a ring of bodies. She uttered a single word, “Rise.” The corpses began twitching as their eyes glowed purple. Slowly, they stood.

Jace noticed Gideon retching in his peripheral. He didn’t do anything. Nissa had it covered.

Liliana turned to Jace with a smile, “Well?” She obviously noticed Gideon’s gagging and seemed to enjoy the sound of his suffering.

A single pair of clapping hands echoed throughout the arena. Jace’s eyes darted to the top of the spectator seats.

He recognized the boy who stood there. Tezzeret. He grew up in Jace’s village.

“Impressive array, Vess.” His gravelly voice was full of arrogance and pretentiousness, “I’m in awe.”

“Um, who are you?” Liliana asked.

“Hey, Beleren.” Tezzeret acknowledged the telepath. He began making his way to the arena floor as he talked, “I saw a little something during today’s classes. Where’d you learn to turn invisible?”

“What do you want, Tezzeret?” Jace asked.

“To fight you.”

“Why?”

“To learn from you.” Tezzeret said.

Jace shrugged, “Well, I don’t see any harm in that.” He grabbed a vial from the Simulacrum’s compartment and tossed it to Tezzeret, “Digitize your attacks.”

Tezzeret downed the liquid, “Now, let’s get this underway. No guns. Powers and melee only.”

Jace didn’t have any guns on him, but over the last week, he’d grown quite fond of a dagger he carried around. He drew the short blade and lit his eyes ablaze.

Tezzeret extended a single arm. The metal on his gauntlet warped and shot out sharp spires at Jace.

The telepath leapt from the path of the metal. The spires retracted and Tezzeret reformed it into a blade covering his hand. He lunged at Jace, aiming for his torso. Jace took advantage of a new magic he’d been studying for three nights now. Telekinesis. With a blast of force, he sent the both of them flying to other ends of the arena.

His technique was still unpolished, allowing him to only create raw outbursts of kinetic energy or get a grip on them for a short time. The arena around them twitched in image. It changed to two different locations, split by a defining golden line. On Jace’s end, a shallow pool. On Tezzeret’s end, a scrapyard.

“I set the Simulacrum to duel mode!” Liliana said, “Kick his ass!”

Jace drew on a new well of mana. He lifted a few balls of water and turned them into icicles. He launched the frozen projectiles in a volley.

Tezzeret willed metal shards to form a shield.

Once the ice hit, the metal unraveled in a serpent like form and rushed at Jace. He sidestepped it.

Jace created several illusory copies that surrounded the artificer. Tezzeret assembled his stream of shards into a medium sized, crab-like golem. The golem attacked the duplicates, causing those it caught to pop like soap bubbles.

Jace released a blast of energy, shattering the metal golem.

In response, Tezzeret summoned several other, smaller golems. Jace veiled himself in invisibility. He telekinetically lifted the golems and slammed them into the ground.

Tezzeret grabbed the materials the golems were made of and encircled the source of the blast in blades.

A fist collided with his jaw.

Tezzeret stumbled from shock to see Jace standing there.

“How’d you do that?” Tezzeret asked.

“I predicted your movements.”

Tezzeret whipped around a string of metal. Jace ducked under the attack.

The artificer morphed the metal into a dense sphere and slammed it into Jace’s gut, sending him flying.

Jace landed in the water on his side of the arena. His lungs burned. It was painful to breathe.

Jace’s eyes glowed blue as his senses were heightened.

Tezzeret launched a volley of metal shards at him. Jace weaved through each shard in a continuous stream of intensified movement.

The two combatants were inches apart. Tezzeret thrust forward with a blade on his hand. Jace swung with his dagger.

Jace passed under Tezzeret’s arm. He felt a sting in his shoulder.

He covered the hurt area and looked at his hand.

Blood.

Crimson doused his hand as the true pain of the wound reached his head. He groaned.

Wait, if he was bleeding…

Jace turned back towards Tezzeret to find a horrific sight.

Bile surged in Jace as his eyes darted between Tezzeret, screaming and his dismembered arm on the ground a few feet away.

“Oh my gods. Get help!” Jace yelled, “Chandra, come here! Can you cauterize the wound?”

“I can try.” Chandra said. She lit her hands with an intense heat and placed them on Tezzeret’s wound. He screamed louder as the fire charred his flesh.

“What happened? Our attacks should've been digitized.” Jace turned to Liliana. She had disappeared, “What the…”

Liliana, followed by Serra entered the Simulacrum in a hurry.

“What happened?” Serra asked. She needed no further explanation when she saw the scene, “Who’s responsible for this?!”

Shyly, Jace raised his hand, “I'm sorry. I thought our attacks were digitized.”

“Go see Urza.” Serra snapped.

She picked Tezzeret up and ran him to the infirmary.

“What have I done?”


End file.
